A device of said type is known from EP 0 373 596 A1. The known device has an X-ray tube attached to a ceiling-mounted support. The X-ray tube can be height-adjusted via the ceiling-mounted support. It is furthermore possible to move the ceiling-mounted support longitudinally and transversally along guide paths. The known device furthermore has an X-ray detector integrated oriented horizontally in a patient examination table. A further vertically oriented X-ray detector is secured to a detector support. The distance between the X-ray tube's focal point and the plane of the X-ray detectors can be set by moving the ceiling-mounted support to which the X-ray tube is attached. The distance between the X-ray tube's focal point and the respective X-ray detector's plane is referred to also as SID (=Source-Image Distance). It is furthermore possible to move the patient examination table relative to the X-ray tube.
Projection images of all parts of a recumbent patient's body can be recorded by means of the known devices. A patient's upper body can furthermore be X-rayed with the aid of the vertically oriented X-ray detector.
A disadvantage of the known device is that patients can be X-rayed only while standing or lying. However, it is occasionally also necessary to record X-ray images of patients in other positions. For recordings of such type it may be necessary for the detector plane to assume a position other than the horizontal or vertical. Such X-ray recordings cannot be made using the known device.